The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1887-10-03
ANEW LICENSEsLAW.
ron TUE FIRST TIME,
A Soap Salesman gets Into Trouble that
1t Uosts him FIFTY Dollars to get out
Of, and the AFFAIR calls Attention to 81
n Strange License Enactment,

lGobo IHeluDef5 OF the nobi9 army Of
commercial travellers, who made Wheel.
Ing their reating point yesterday, we're
busy all day dlscuasins o new and 10 them,
highly important matter. The discussion
was participated in generally by those
knights OF the Grip who make this city
their homo, aa well as by those who were
accounting here. 5Ss, EN-, a.
The talk wns the outgrowth Of an action
had on Saturday before Ralph Arkle, one
Of the luatlces Of tho peace Of this county.
For the pas. week Or ten daya Mr.. Ter.
rance Fitzpatrick, representing the R. W.
Bell Manufacturing Company. soap man.
uiacturelu Of Buffalo, N. r, has boon in
the city. MIR. Fitzpatrick has been com.
Ing 10 Wheeling for the past seven years.
Ho Ia here this time Introducing and
pushing In q lively manner, new brand
Of soap. He was accompanied by a Mr..
CLARK and ten young men who are en-.
ployed az canvassera, Mr.. Clark being tho
superintendent Of tho ten men. All are
paid salaries and do no work on commits.
sion. AS an aid to introducing tho Honp,
the firm otfers certain premiums for the
return OF the wrappers in which tho soap
Is put up. jsas \, < (, 4. N, -
The duty OF tho canvassers WAS 10 20
from door to door, show the soap, OK.
plain about the premiums and II possible
tako orders for the goods. These orders
were turned over to the grocer with
whom the family ordering was accustom.
cd to deal, and tho retail groces's order
taken in turn to the jobbing house with
which he deal, 15f' Nlf', ~ u
In other words, these canvassers eold
the goods Tor the local merchants, allow.
ing them full commissions and charging
them nothing for the work, In order to
thoroughly introduce the soap. 5
Saturday Mr.. Fitzpatrick was surprised
to learn from Mr.. Clark that four Of the
men had been arrested Of the instance Of
Squire Ralph Ankle for selling without a
license. In all Mr.. Fizpatrick's exper.
fence In the State, he had never heard oil
q licsnso being required, and be was nat.
usally surprised. He at once consulted
An attorney and learned what will
doubtless DO news to many, that
among the laws passed by the
last Legislature when IL WINS not
wrangling over the Senatorial question,
WAS one assessing license tax on all who
sell by sample as well as on those who
sell from stock carried with them. E
This law applies with ualforce to those
who travel In the State for concerns 10.
Gated here, and which pay taxes to ths
State, as we'll as to those who come in
from other States to sell. Under 1t every
fdrummer for every jobbing house in this
city is liable to this liconso tax. Tho bill
wsa passed last February, and became o
law without the Governors signature.
| hir. Fitzpatrick was advised that the
best thing he could do wss to Equare the
matter up as cheaply as possible. He did
60, but 1t cost him about $50. He told q
reporter last night that he had taken out
lour State licenses ut s. 50 each, and four
city licenses at S. so each, all good for
thirty days. The balance Of the $50 went
to pay justices' and corstables' fees, etc.
His other six men he has sent across the
river, to work in land where no license
is required. BE says he has pursued his
plan oil introducing his soap in Pittsburgh
and other large places, and never bstore
had IN experience like this. ~
Two or three drummers who came in
last night were found seriously debating
whether they should attempt to sell here
or not, doubling whether the business
would warrant the outlay neceaaary for a
l!csnse. There we're n number Of in
quiries as 10 why tho T. P. A. boys Of the
State had not looked out Tor the matter
and prevented the passage OF such a Inv,
and us to why it had not bsen put in oper.
ton before. Tho last question is EASILY
suswsred; the sets have bat lately been
received here, and the Justices have not
had on opportunity to become familiar
with the provisions which are new.